*Need advice* Senior cat has Oral cancer

[marshmallow2013]

My cat started drinking more water few months before he was diagnosed with scc. He wanted canned pate food all the time but would eat only 2-3 tsp. every 3 hours or so. Later months he would look at his food bowl and sniff it but then drink water instead. I now feel he was hungry but in pain at the time and drank more water to relieve his discomfort. I wish I knew his mouth was hurting so bad, I would have given him kmr milk. He wasn’t getting enough calories and nutrients. This was before he was on steroids.

Steroids did increase hunger, thirst and urine. I definitely noticed it in my cat.

 

[LuluM]

Steroids did increase hunger, thirst and urine. I definitely noticed it in my cat.

This is what I’m noticing now with her, I can at least control the hunger by managing her food intake but I don’t know if I can do anything for the urine.

 

[daftcat75]

Lately I’ve noticed Momo has been going to the litter box frequently, usually she would go about 2-3 times a day but today she already went 5 times. Since we have been managing her food she constantly asks us for food and when we don’t give it her she goes to drink water. In addition we add water to her food for extra hydration but today she has been drinking more water. Her bloodwork didn’t show any signs of diabetes or kidney failure either and it only started just today. I’m not sure what I should do since I don’t want to take away her water bowl and I’d rather she drink water than not at all. I’m hoping it doesn’t continue so I’m keeping an eye on her litter box. Maybe it’s a side effect from the steroid.

Definitely a side effect of the steroid. I wouldn’t worry about it.

The most common side effects include increased drinking, increased urination, and increased appetite.

Prednisolone/Prednisone | VCA Animal Hospital | VCA Canada Animal Hospitals

I don’t mean to sound grim. But I wouldn’t worry too much about long-term side effects either.

 

[marshmallow2013]

This is what I’m noticing now with her, I can at least control the hunger by managing her food intake but I don’t know if I can do anything for the urine.

If she is eating well and her pain meds are working, I would not be too worried about her urinating, as long as she is using her litterbox. Sounds like she still has a good quality of life.

 

[LuluM]

Definitely a side effect of the steroid. I wouldn’t worry about it.



Prednisolone/Prednisone | VCA Animal Hospital | VCA Canada Animal Hospitals

I don’t mean to sound grim. But I wouldn’t worry too much about long-term side effects either.

Yeah I figured it would be, although the symptoms started now

If she is eating well and her pain meds are working, I would not be too worried about her urinating, as long as she is using her litterbox. Sounds like she still has a good quality of life.

Yes she is still in good quality, she’s become more active and strong. Recently she is learning to eat on her own without me having to spoon feed her. No bad signs at all, you couldn’t even tell she is sick.

 

[marshmallow2013]

Yeah I figured it would be, although the symptoms started now

Yes she is still in good quality, she’s become more active and strong. Recently she is learning to eat on her own without me having to spoon feed her. No bad signs at all, you couldn’t even tell she is sick.

That is so good to hear she is eating on her own and doing well. She’s lucky to have you.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. No matter what, don't limit the water. In fact, add additional water sources for her to have.

Yes, the steroids can increase water intake and increase urine. (PUPD) Still, contact your vet in the morning and let them know of the change. It is important to keep them updated as to any change in behavior or any medical concerns.

When you say drinking allot of water, do you mean, hanging out at the water bowl? Having a constant wet chin?

 

[LuluM]

When you say drinking allot of water, do you mean, hanging out at the water bowl? Having a constant wet chin?

She would come by every couple hours to drink from her water bowl and I do have to wipe her chin every time since it is wet. I place about a cup of water in her bowl and refill only once or twice (morning and night) she isn’t drinking it all up at once but I noticed she takes frequent trips. Her water bowl is never empty so I know she isn’t thirsty. What caught my attention was how often she went to the litter box rather than the amount of water she’s drinking. She urinated 5 times in the span of 24 hours. This just happened today and right now she is sleeping so it’s been over 2 hours since she last drank.

 

[silent meowlook]

Ok. Probably the steroids, but mention it to your vet.

 

[Furballsmom]

but mention it to your vet.

I definitely agree with this.

 

[LuluM]

Small update: I’ve mentioned the side effects to my vet yet I haven’t received a call for discussion even though I asked to speak with my vet over the phone. The hospital does have the information I gave them about the side effects under Momo’s profile so my vet should be aware of it. It just annoys me that it’s hard to get into contact with them even though I’ve called multiple times about it. Today we’ve run out of the prednisone and I called yesterday for a refill and haven’t gotten any confirmation (usually they notify that the refill is ready the same day or the next day) unfortunately today is Labor Day so they are closed. Momo will have to miss one dosage of the prednisone tonight which worries me but again I will tell them about that tomorrow hoping I can get a refill. Although Momo is doing fine right now I’m just frustrated that I can’t seem to get in contact unless I book an appointment just to speak with the vet.

 

[neely]

I’ve mentioned the side effects to my vet yet I haven’t received a call for discussion even though I asked to speak with my vet over the phone. The hospital does have the information I gave them about the side effects under Momo’s profile so my vet should be aware of it. It just annoys me that it’s hard to get into contact with them even though I’ve called multiple times about it.

Can you show up in person and politely ask to speak with your vet even if it means waiting until he's free or get someone else to speak with you? You can also ask for a refill of his medicine at the same time.

 

[daftcat75]

Small update: I’ve mentioned the side effects to my vet yet I haven’t received a call for discussion even though I asked to speak with my vet over the phone. The hospital does have the information I gave them about the side effects under Momo’s profile so my vet should be aware of it. It just annoys me that it’s hard to get into contact with them even though I’ve called multiple times about it. Today we’ve run out of the prednisone and I called yesterday for a refill and haven’t gotten any confirmation (usually they notify that the refill is ready the same day or the next day) unfortunately today is Labor Day so they are closed. Momo will have to miss one dosage of the prednisone tonight which worries me but again I will tell them about that tomorrow hoping I can get a refill. Although Momo is doing fine right now I’m just frustrated that I can’t seem to get in contact unless I book an appointment just to speak with the vet.

On the one hand, I find this really annoying. And on the other, my Betty, and likely your Momo too, is a complex case. So yeah, it would be nice if I could get all the answers in a vet callback in a timely fashion. But I do appreciate when I can make a consultation appointment and get 15 to 30 minutes of my vet's dedicated and pre-arranged time. I make sure I write all my questions and concerns out and bring that in with a pen and a clipboard or journal, and write down as much as I find useful and relevant. Because honestly, the alternative is that I often get the vet callback at the end of their day, during my dinner, and we're both kinda inconvenienced and not really giving the conversation as much time as it deserves. If coming down is inconvenient, I wonder if you could schedule a phone consultation. Even if there is some kind of charge to that, it might still be valuable to have scheduled time to get all your questions answered and concerns discussed.

 

[LuluM]

Can you show up in person and politely ask to speak with your vet even if it means waiting until he's free or get someone else to speak with you? You can also ask for a refill of his medicine at the same time.

I am going tomorrow anyway since I need the refill and I plan to tell them in person about my concerns and see that if I don’t get a call again then I’m going to book an appointment instead.

 

[LuluM]

On the one hand, I find this really annoying. And on the other, my Betty, and likely your Momo too, is a complex case. So yeah, it would be nice if I could get all the answers in a vet callback in a timely fashion. But I do appreciate when I can make a consultation appointment and get 15 to 30 minutes of my vet's dedicated and pre-arranged time. I make sure I write all my questions and concerns out and bring that in with a pen and a clipboard or journal, and write down as much as I find useful and relevant. Because honestly, the alternative is that I often get the vet callback at the end of their day, during my dinner, and we're both kinda inconvenienced and not really giving the conversation as much time as it deserves. If coming down is inconvenient, I wonder if you could schedule a phone consultation. Even if there is some kind of charge to that, it might still be valuable to have scheduled time to get all your questions answered and concerns discussed.

I would book an appointment if it was an urgent matter like if Momo was in bad condition. They did tell me that the vet is often busy, but that they notified him about my concerns so I figured I’d wait for him to call me since Momo is doing fine at the moment. I already requested a refill so the vet would have to approve of that for me to get it which would indicate that he is aware of the concerns I have. The last time I requested a refill the vet asked for an update on Momo’s condition (which at the time she was fine without side effects) so I know he isn’t being negligent of her. I do hope I get in contact with him sooner hopefully tomorrow when I get the refill.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[LuluM]

I got the refills today so Momo only missed one dose which they said isn’t serious as long as she’s back on schedule. I already gave her the medicine today and she’s doing fine. I did tell them about not getting a call back and they did remind the vet about that when they asked for the refill approval. They also noted into the system for a call back so for certain the vet is notified about it. Now I just hope I do get a call or else the only option is to book an appointment.

 

[LuluM]

Update: Since yesterday Momo has been in pain and struggling to eat. I noticed yesterday afternoon her mouth started bleeding and every time she tried to eat she would paw at her mouth and start to gag. Even with her usual medication she still looked to be in pain. She didn’t eat as much yesterday and today she only ate a small amount of baby food. I booked an appointment tomorrow so I plan to get a stronger pain medication as well as have a long discussion with the vet. I was hopeful that she would be fine considering she was doing great until yesterday. Today I’m going to feed her liquid foods using a syringe to get something in her stomach. She is drinking water on her own but the food is what is hurting her. I’ve also noticed one side of her jaw is starting to swell too. I knew this was inevitable but I’m trying my best and all I can do is pray she doesn’t leave in pain

 

[Furballsmom]

Will the vet let you have the pain med today, if you send them a video of how she's doing?

 

[LuluM]

Will the vet let you have the pain med today, if you send them a video of how she's doing?

The vet isn’t here today but will be in tomorrow. They did say they will send him an email about it but either way I can’t get it until he prescribes it.